Paul Hackett, back to camera, offers instruction to a group of Syracuse players working toward pro day on March 7. Clockwise from left: Alec Lemon (blue shorts), David Stevens, Zack Chibane, Ryan Nassib, Carl Cutler.Michael Cohen | syracuse.com

Syracuse — Manley Field House is buzzing.

A pair of female lacrosse players bash sledgehammers into a tire as they rehab injuries in one corner of the arena. A soccer player works with her coach on footwork drills in another. Several track and field athletes grind away at a core workout off to the side.

In the middle, amid the sweat dripped and calories burned, is Ryan Nassib, camouflaged by the hubbub. He's jumping rope forward and back, laterally, on one foot and two feet, with the legendary Paul Hackett looking on.

A few yards away are a group of his favorite receivers, two wideouts and two tight ends, all of which will take the field with Nassib for Syracuse's pro day on March 7. So for the next hour they prepare — Nassib throws, they catch, repeat — to regain the timing and feel that has faded slightly since the season ended.

Nassib, a potential first- or second-round pick in the upcoming draft, invited me to watch his workout Thursday and catch a glimpse of the strides he's made since the Pinstripe Bowl victory. Wide receivers Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales have returned after leaving Syracuse to attend speed schools following the conclusion of the 2012 season, and they join tight ends Carl Cutler and David Stevens as the four targets Nassib will throw to on March 7. On Thursday, the quintet of NFL hopefuls ran through a scripted set of 75 to 80 plays that will be repeated next week in front of scouts and coaches.

"It’s nice to be back in a familiar place with a familiar quarterback getting our timing back," Lemon said. "That’s the most important thing. That’s why we’re out here, making sure we get our feel back for next Thursday."

Wearing an Orange long-sleeve shirt, gray and blue Syracuse shorts and navy blue spandex leggings, Nassib blends in nicely with the rest of the athletes sharing the turf in Manley Field House. Only his metallic and neon green Under Armour cleats, which he received at the NFL Scouting Combine, set him apart.

In April, he will likely sign a multi-million dollar contract to launch his career in the NFL. But for now, the player who avoids the spotlight — he even jokes that the shoes are a bit too shiny for his liking, they're just really comfortable — is happy in the humble confines of an arena shared with a handful of other athletic teams under the watchful eyes of his former offensive coordinator's father.

"I’ve always kind of done a good job of shielding the outside and being able to focus on doing what I need to get done," Nassib said after his workout.

Right now that means building off a successful trip to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis with a strong showing at Syracuse's pro day next week. Nassib said he met with almost every team in the league at the combine in 15- or 30-minute segments, answering questions and selling himself to scouts, coaches and other NFL personnel.

The script of plays for pro day is designed to highlight Nassib, the Syracuse player projected to be drafted highest, but it features a variety of routes and patterns to give his receivers a chance to show off as well. He ran through slants, comebacks, post patterns, fly routes and several others featuring double moves with Sales and Lemon, while Cutler and Stevens worked mostly over the middle or out of the backfield on shorter routes.

Nassib looks to have gotten bigger physically since the Pinstripe Bowl, with more defined muscles in his arms and shoulders. He flicks the ball 40 yards down field to Sales and Lemon with ease, then follows it up with bullet passes to Cutler and Stevens on quick three-step drops.

The daily drills with Hackett and former NFL quarterback Ken Anderson over the last two months have paid off, Lemon said. And Nassib's leading receiver from the 2012 season was floored when he sat down with his quarterback in the film room.

"I was watching film with him yesterday, and just hearing the stuff he has to know and how he throws it out so easy, it’s incredible," Lemon said. "Identifying fronts, pressures, where you have to shift the line to. I’m on the outside, I didn’t know all that stuff happens. It’s something to see."

Hackett stands 10 or so yards behind Nassib on most of his throws Thursday afternoon, wearing blue jeans, a green sweater and a faded blue Syracuse hat. Every handful of plays he gathers the group for a few words, then they return to their script.

Following two perfect touch passes down the sideline, one each to Sales and Lemon, Hackett lets loose an excited "Yes!" from behind the play. And he gives a small fist pump after two more well-thrown deep balls on play-action rollouts.

But the man that all five players call "The Guru" declines to comment when I approach him for some insight on his workouts with Nassib.

It's clear Hackett and Anderson have done a tremendous job, though, evidenced by Nassib's stronger, more accurate throws and the positive impression their student made in Indianapolis. Mike Mayock of the NFL Network has said he thinks Nassib has the potential to be the riser in this year's draft that could sneak all the way into the first round.

Sales said his hands were hurting as he walked off the field, and Lemon noticed that the ball is leaving Nassib's hand quicker, with more power.

"In the first two months I've been out here doing drills, all quarterback drills — throwing on the run and stuff like that," Nassib said. "Now it's all pro day prep."

There will be a few more runs through the script between now and Thursday, as the group of five makes the final edits to its audition tape. Then they will enter the Carrier Dome where dozens of eyes from dozens of teams can analyze and scrutinize their every move.

Until then, he remains out of the spotlight. Just another athlete sharing the Manley Field House turf.

But come Thursday the buzz will be all about him.

""It’s definitely a little different being the center of attention," Nassib said. "But at the end of the day, to be successful you’ve got to tune that stuff out and just focus on what you have to get done."